Betting: 2022 NFL Draft - Defensive Line
Minty Bets, Jared Quay, and Ariel Epstein break down their best bets involving defensive linemen for the 2022 NFL Draft.
Video Transcript
MINTY BETS: Welcome to the "Mad Bets" NFL draft show defensive line edition. I'm Minty Bets, and joining me is Ariel Epstein and Jared Quay. And we are here to give you our favorite picks for the position. I will go first since I have two picks, and I'll start with Kayvon Thibodeaux under pick 4 and 1/2.
Now he's got size. He's got speed. He's got power. He can move swiftly and change positions effectively. Very athletic guy. He's also very technical and very focused. Super ready for the NFL. So I'm liking him to get snagged early, which is why I like the under here.
Next up, I've got Travon Walker as the first overall selection. Now Aidan Hutchinson was the absolute favorite for quite a while, but odds significantly moved in Walker's favor. Why? Because he's explosive. He can constantly apply pressure on the field. He's agile. And he's got special teams experience as well. Coaches love a guy that can do it all, so I'm liking him to go first overall. Even though he is the favorite, he's still my favorite. Jared, what do you have for us?
JARED QUAY: Well, I was going to go Hutchinson, and then I heard Minty say her spots, and so I'm following her. No, actually with due research, I actually think Walker will go first overall now. Obviously, Hutchinson had better stats in just last year than Walker had his entire three-year career in Georgia. But in big games, Hutchinson just kind of disappeared. Case in point, the Georgia game where he did absolutely nothing.
And with that being the case, Jacksonville also likes to take close-to-home products. Obviously, Georgia and Florida are two schools that are really close to Jacksonville. And Florida has had like four players drafted by the Jaguars in the first round. I think Georgia gets this one with Walker. That, plus the fact that there's only been one player drafted by the Jaguars in their entire franchise history from the Big Ten in the first round. I don't think that changes this year. I like Walker. I don't know what the odds will be when draft day happens, so get on him quickly because I think Walker will be the first overall.
MINTY BETS: All right, Ariel, now wrap things up for us. What is your pick?
ARIEL EPSTEIN: My pick is the over 9 and 1/2 for the draft position of the FSU edge rusher Jermaine Johnson. This means he's going the 10th pick or later. The juice has already been applied to the over. It went from plus 105 to now minus 115. That's all sharp money. Come on, nobody's betting the draft a week or two in advance. The public's going to bet the day of. The fact this line's already moving towards the under was a huge red flag for me.
I like the fact that, based on the research, the analysis has been that most of his pressure, Johnson, is up front. He's not really good around the edges. He just doesn't move as well. He's pretty tight when he has to come off the edge. Up front's where his pressure is because that's where his strength is. That's just not going to do it for someone to go as a top-10 pick inside this NFL draft. There's a ton of edge rushers that can go inside the top 10. It's just not going to be Jermaine Johnson. Bet his over 9 and 1/2 on his draft position.
MINTY BETS: To recap our picks, I've got Kayvon Thibodeaux under pick 4 and 1/2, Travon Walker as the first overall selection. Jared also has Travon Walker as the first overall selection. And Ariel has Jermaine Johnson over pick 9 and 1/2. Bet $10 and win $200 in free bets by signing up at BetMGM.com/yahooVIP. New customers only. Must be 21 and older. Terms apply.